History
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2011: Artslink.co.za is in your pocket Artslink.co.za has gone mobi. Now, wherever you are, you can keep in touch with the arts world and plan your entertainment on your cellphone. The http://artslink.mobi website is optimised for the cellphone, offering a far faster download time (even over GPRS). You can access the information you want anytime and anywhere there is cellphone coverage. If you need a quick answer you don’t have find a computer or search for a WiFi hotspot; simply pull out your cellphone and start clicking. You can see all the latest headlines, the last three reviews and do a quick search too. Other features are in the pipeline. This is the fourth innovation the website has introduced this year to make it easy to keep informed about arts and entertainment happenings around the country. First came the Artslink.co.za Diary. At a flick of a calendar and the touch of a button, you can see what’s on today, tomorrow, or any date you choose. You can search by province and category. - www.artslink.co.za (top right red block) Then came the Coming Up. What shows are on the way? What do you need to plan for in the future? You don’t want to miss any great events coming to your area. - www.artlink.co.za/coming_up.htm Then there was yet another refinement – the Now On. At a glance, you can see what’s happening on your beat in chronological order, with end dates, so you can be sure to catch the event in time. You can search this feature by province and category too. - www.artlink.co.za/now_on.htm All these quick links to Artslink.co.za’s information are easily accessed from the website’s front page. See www.artslink.co.za and now also http://artslink.mobi 2009 - 2010 : Artslink.co.za rockets ahead Catch up with the future - the new-look Artslink.co.za is here at last, fast, modern and streamlined. It's a bright, vibrant website, capturing the energy and colour of South Africa's arts scene, with picture slide shows, news, views and reviews - everything you need to keep informed. It's been quite a project transferring a database of more than 21 thousand news articles from old technology to new. Believe it or not, the very first item posted was "Abbamaniacs" on 13 December 1998. Artslink.co.za has come a long way since then. All that information, spanning the last 14 years, is in the archive and can be searched and researched. There's an archive search, a narrow-it-down current search and a new fast keyword search, so you should have no trouble finding what you want. Take a look at all the new features, particularly the pictures. Click a picture and it will display full size. Several pictures can be posted per article and viewed as a slide show. Hover over the headlines on the front page and you'll see all the images attached. We are trying to make the distinctions clearer - press releases are carried under News, original writing (views and reviews) can be found under ArtSpoken & Reviews. Remember, if you have something to say, the Artslink.co.za platform is open to you. ArtSpoken & Reviews, FilmWrap and the ArtWrap - a listing of arts events and happenings around the country - will be e-mailed to subscribers each week. If your event is not there; well, you haven't sent it to us. All press releases submitted to Artslink.co.za are posted on the website, distributed to the media and subscribers and sent on to Google News. It costs R300 to distribute a one-off press release. There are cost-effective six-month and annual options too. See the website for details. The South African Arts and Cultural Calendar has also had a makeover. Fill in the details of your festival or annual event on the form under Calendar, submit and share. This is a free service. You will note the new Sharing icons with each story. Now you can grab a story for Facebook or Twitter, or e-mail it to your friends. There are moderated forums with each story, so you can add your comments. The banner advertising has also been revamped and at only R900 per month is a cost-effective way to promote your show or event. The ArtFocus feature is available for festivals, big events or anything special that carries a lot of publicity. YouTube clips and giveaways can also be accommodated. Artslink.co.za has a ticketing solution through Strictly Tickets. The company is also an Internet Service Provider (ISP) via Internet Solutions. The fresh, vibrant new Artslink.co.za is there for you and we are striving to be as comprehensive as possible. Take a look at www.artslink.co.za and tell your friends and contacts. Artslink.co.za is privately owned and independent. Jennifer de Klerk (editor) editor@artslink.co.za TJ de Klerk (webmaster) info@artslink.co.za Artslink.co.za 011 487 3689 (o) www.artslink.co.za 1997 - 2009 : More than a decade of Artslink.co.za Twelve years ago a concept was born over a late-night pizza at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown - a vision of an all-encompassing website for the arts and entertainment industry that would link artists and audiences. It was 1996, the Internet in South Africa was in its infancy; the dot com boom and doom still to come. There were no blueprints for a viable web-based business. But Artslink.co.za founder TJ de Klerk seized every opportunity, constantly trying out new ideas, until he found a formula that worked. Artslink.co.za survived, while a multitude of competitors, challengers and imitators appeared and, just as quickly, disappeared. Today, Artslink.co.za is a quiet niche market success story, notching up thousands of hits a day from all over the world. Through its Artslink.co.za Account facility the site feeds arts and entertainment news and press releases daily via e-mail to journalists on newspapers, magazines, radio, television, Internet and freelance. Recently the 20 000th Artslink.co.za News item was posted on the site and archived, making the website a unique and invaluable information resource spanning the last 12 years. Headlines, art and film "wraps" go out weekly. Most of the news on the site is generated by arts publicists, but a small group of contributors regularly post original columns and articles. Good writing is always welcomed and debate encouraged. An annual calendar of arts festivals and events is maintained. In keeping with the vision of linking artists and audiences, members of the public can subscribe to receive Artslink.co.za News of their choice on e-mail, tailor-made for their region and interests. At present this is a free service. Three times in the last 12 years Artslink.co.za has won Arts and Culture Trust awards for media in support of the arts; the site has been nominated for the Business Day / BASA Awards. Artslink.co.za is also an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and, over the extensive infrastructure of The Internet Solution (IS), offers basic 56k dial-up, ISDN and ADSL connectivity, international roaming, POP3 e-mail, webmail, fax via e-mail, hosting and e-commerce. Artslink.co.za is privately owned and independent. Read more... |
